CLick here to listen to Phill Jupitus talk about his Star Wars experiences!

If a complete stranger walked into your flat claiming to be your Mother's sister and part of your close family, you would, quite rightly, object.

After years of knowing your family inside out, it would be incredibly hard to accept a new member of the close-knit group, regardless of how good a person they might be.

For this is the feeling that overwhelmed many a Star Wars fan as they witnessed the first Star Wars movie in nearly 25 years. After years of seeing the same classic scenes over and over again, Lucas had employed a new cast of actors, a new story and all-new special effects to bring his saga back to life.

But not everybody was capable of welcoming it with open arms.

Derided as being a kids movie (exactly what the original trilogy was) by people that were kids when they first saw Star Wars, The Phantom Menace is perhaps more child orientated than the following prequels, with the likes of Jar Jar Binks taking centre stage.

The plot finds Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jin (Liam Neeson), with the help of his 'padawan learner' Obi Wan Kenobi, attempting to broker a settlement between a Trade Federation and Queen Amidala, ruler of the peaceful planet Naboo.

The Federation, however, has no intention of bargaining and is soon goes to war with the sleepy planet.

Forced to flee for their lives, the Jedi and Queen Amidala hide out on the desert planet of Tatooine, where they stumble upon a talented slave child known as Anakin Skywalker...

In spite of a slightly wooden script, bizarre explanations for the force and the infuriating amount of scenes and locations, Phantom has more going for it than against.

Ewan McGregor's Alec Guinness impersonation is flawless, Samuel L. Jackson steals scenes with startling abandon and Darth Maul cements his position as the best villain ever conceived.

Meanwhile, John Williams somehow outdoes his last score with the introduction of the epic Duel Of The Fates, while the Lightsabre fights are light-years ahead of the previous movies.

Yes, Anakin shouting 'yippee' is probably more irritating than Jar Jar himself, but such minor complaints seem trivial when compared to the feeling of seeing characters and locations of old suddenly come back to life.

Lucas hadn't directed a movie for years, and it showed. But this is Star Wars, and it doesnt take much more than a 20th Century Fox fanfare and a pair of flailing lightsabres before all is forgiven.

Rich Phippen